Swarm of the Marro
by RemedyToEnnui
Summary: I, Sergeant Drake Alexander, am being sent on a mission. It is unknown how many of us will survive. Those who have gone into the swamp before us have died. Maybe we won't find a wellspring. Maybe something better... But more likely something worse...
1. The Alliance

"Sergeant!" I jerked my head up. "Yes, sir?" I looked down the table at Jandar, the only name we knew our 'boss' by. Jandar was a Valkyrie, a part of a race on this world called Valhalla. The Kyrie were a human-like race with a few major differences; not the least of which being the large wings on their backs. They also were inhumanly beautiful, graceful, and all those other things that humans weren't. The Valkyrie was the name given to the Kyrie that drank from magical wellsprings, of which this war was over. Jandar asked, exasperated, "Did you just hear anything I just said?" I grimaced. I hadn't. And it was no help that one of the most beautiful Kyrie sat next to me. Her name was Raelin, and was ridiculously gorgeous. As if anybody needed such good looks. "No, sir, sorry."

Jandar sighed. "I would like to send you on a mission," I slumped down. I had just finished my last mission just yesterday, which was to fetch him a glass of water while he met with another Valkyrie, by the name of Vydar. He saw me and a slight smile appeared on his face. "No, it is a little more difficult and dangerous than your last mission." Now, I straightened, interested. He continued, all business, "I will be sending you with a small task force to a place where we have reason to believe another wellspring is located."

I raised an eyebrow. "What reason?"

"Utgar sent in a small troop from his army into the swamp." Utgar was another Valkyrie. There were a total of five Valkyrie. Jandar, Ullar, Vydar, Utgar, and Einar. "I sent a small group to follow them and then destroy them. Four Vikings and their leaders, Thorgrim and Finn. None returned. We think either Utgar has found another wellspring, or he is building a fortress. The latter option is highly unlikely, seeing as the swamp is always shifting and would destroy any buildings in construction. First, will anyone volunteer to go with Sergeant Drake?" I glanced around. Nobody stood, except Raelin. I started protesting, "I can't take... Er... I'll take 4 people from my team, the Elites! They can fight and-" She glared at me with her beautiful blue eyes. "And you think I can't?", she asked, angrily. It was fascinating to see her angry. If it hadn't been so captivating, my argument would've been stronger than, "Uh... Er... Well... No... But-" She was still angry, but amused too. "Fine." I growled and sat back down. Jandar was stifling a smile, but was definitely failing in his attempt. "Good! Now, Ullar has offered two of his elves to help you, Sonlen, who you haven't met yet, and Syvarris. You remember him?" I grinned and nodded. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all! Syvarris was my favorite of all the elves. He wasn't stuck up like the rest of the elves. He was kind, had a sense of humor, and was a terrifying archer. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. "Also, after meeting with Vydar, I shared my plan with him. He will send Major Q10, a soulborg, and the Krav Maga Agents. Will that be good enough?"

I nodded again. "Great, now-" Someone shouted outside the door, "Sir! Einar approaches from the West! He carries the white flag of truce!" Everyone, excluding Jandar, shot out of their seats. He looked thoughtful, then rose slowly. "Sergeant, come with me. Raelin, Kelda? Please alert Ullar and Vydar." Raelin and Kelda, another Kyrie, bolted out the door. Jandar swept out after them and I followed him. He kept up a brisk pace, but I found I could keep up. Jandar sighed. "Someday, I'm going to give that herald a new job. He seems to think that I must be alerted about everything that goes on in this castle! He would probably alert me if a bird flew overhead and a dropping landed on his head!" I stifled a smile. We reached the front gate, which was being lifted so Einar, his flag bearer, and 3 samurai could walk in. Jandar and Einar walked toward each other. The three samurai followed closely, all glaring at me. I stayed close to Jandar, glaring back. They shook hands and went into a room, closing the door. I stood by the door, one hand on my sword hilt. Ullar and Vydar walked up. Ullar smiled at me kindly, while Vydar scowled coldly at the samurai, who glowered defiantly back. They knocked, and Jandar let them in. For an hour, we waited, nobody relaxing, nobody talking, barely a sound.

The door opened softly, but everyone heard it. All tensed. Einar came out with a smug look. Vydar was still glaring, just not as coldly as before. Now, it was more suspicious. Ullar and Jandar walked out last. Jandar cleared his throat and announced, "Einar has decided to join us in the fight against Utgar!" There were cheers, but not many people were entirely relaxed. "You may all go back to your regular activities! Sergeant? Do you have a moment?"

We waited for everyone to clear out, and then Einar said, "I was told about your mission to the swamp. I would like to say two things. One, watch out for Marro." I raised an eyebrow. "Marro?" He nodded, continuing, "Yes. You remember the first battles? Those skeletal creatures with the cannons are the Marro Warriors. An elite group of Marro." I remembered.

_"There! On the hill! What are those?" Soldier Holler pointed. I looked over. "I'm not sure, though they look like Utgar's work! Let's get them!" My soldiers and I sneaked up the hillside. Suddenly, a ball of hissing goo flew past me. I yelled, "They spotted us! Let's give them all we've got!" My soldiers cheered and starting firing our rifles back. Soldier Holler ended up beside me. There was a hideous laugh as another ball launched past me, hitting Soldier Holler. He screamed, dropping his gun and trying to swat the goo off. It slowly burned him, and I had to look away. Minutes later, the Marro Warriors were scattered over the hill. I glanced over at Holler, but quickly looked away, swallowing the taste of bile at the sight._

"Yes... I remember those..." I admitted. Einar nodded. He must have a habit of doing that. "There are three more species of Marro that Utgar has summoned. The Marrden Nagrubs, wolf-like Marro, Marro Drudges, and Marro Stingers. They are all very dangerous in groups, but if you split them up, they are easy to defeat." I nodded. Darn. He was rubbing off on me. "Now, the second thing, I will be sending one of my ninjas with your team." I stiffened. "That is completely-"

"Unnecessary? Yes, I know. However, she does know how to destroy the Marro." I jerked, probably giving myself whiplash. "She?", I asked coldly. Einar was either deaf or ignoring my reaction. I hoped it was the first, though the second was more likely. "She.", he responded with finality. I thought about throwing a tantrum, just to see the look on his face. But I couldn't. "It will be an... honor... to have her with us..." Jandar stifled a grin. Einar ignored the hesitation, nodded, and swept away. The samurai and flag bearer followed briskly. I rolled my eyes at them, while they glowered. I turned to Jandar, who was trying to be serious, but having difficulty. "You really should respect him. He just wants someone to keep an eye on us and on Utgar. He doesn't trust us yet." I turned and muttered, "Good. We don't trust him either." Jandar sighed. "You leave tomorrow. I already had someone pack for your group. Good luck." He turned and walked away. I heard his footfalls slowly fading and then I was alone. I sighed. I couldn't plan, because I didn't know who our team would have to fight against. All I knew was to split them up.


	2. The Swamp

"Welcome to the swamps everyone!" I announced, with plenty false enthusiasm. Nobody smiled. All looked forward, through the trees and mud, wondering what we would find. And who would return. I scanned our group. Our team consisted of: Four of my soldiers (Humans: Ken, Fred, Darius, and one whose name I forgot, so I'm calling him Barney), Raelin (gorgeous Kyrie), Major Q10 (Soulborg whom I had decided to call Qwerty), the three Krav Maga Agents (Humans: Mira, Jackson, and Lenny), Shiori (Human: Einar's ninja), Syvarris (Ullar's Elven archer), and Sonlen (Elven Archmage I nicknamed Sonny). Oh, and then Sonny's miniature dragon, who I named Loony, to Sonny's irritation. This was a pretty large group for scouting. I turned back to the swamp. "We'll camp here. We head in tomorrow." I announced. Everyone began preparing camp. The humans erected small rain shelters, Raelin and Syvarris set up bedrolls, and Sonny was chanting with his eyes closed. I watched, curious. A flickering green aura formed around him, swirling, twisting, but staying constant to his shape. I took an involuntary step back. In fact, everyone except the elves and Raelin did too. Suddenly the aura disappeared, and a blazing bonfire appeared in the pile of sticks Sonny made. He sat down. I looked at him concerned. "You alright?" He looked up and smiled slightly. "Yes. Fire is the hardest to control, for me. I'm better at Earth and Storm magic." I nodded, even though I knew I looked confused. Everyone moved toward the fire, including myself. Sonny started, "Earth magic is the plants and animals around us." He stroked Loony, who purred. "Storm magic is lightning, thunder, and rain, obviously. I'm better at those. I'm an archmage, not a conjurer, and that's why fire is more difficult." Raelin asked, "Are those the types of... magicians?" Sonny nodded, "Those are some of them. There are archmages, who specialize in earth-related magics, conjurers, who specialize in Fire, diviners, specialize in seeing the future, healers, which is self-explanatory, and summoners, who have the ability to summon organic objects from different worlds and times. Summoning is extremely dangerous and I have used it only once. It put me in a healing facility for three days." "Is that how you got Loony?" I inquired. Syvarris bit his lip to stifle a laugh, then averted his face. Sonny flashed a glare at me, but nodded. "Her name is actually Luna, not Loony..." I shrugged. Close enough.

Next morning, we scattered the coals, packed up camp, and stared into the swamp. No noise came out of the trees. Nothing moved. I was tense. I tried to loosen up, but I knew it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. "Well? Let's get a move on, people!" Syvarris commanded. I chuckled, and walked cautiously into the trees. The farther from the edge of the swamp, the sicker the trees looked, the greener the mud, and the tenser I got. We barely breathed, moving slowly through the trees. I heard an irritated sigh behind me, then Syvarris marched past me, muttering, "Snails..." I sped up, and matched my pace with his long stride. "What's the hurry?" He looked at me, and said, "We're on a mission, are we not? We're scouting, correct? So, why are we going slow?" I mumbled, "Snails are quiet." He chuckled. "Sorry, I was just annoyed. On Feylund, where I am from, we almost never went slow. Elves are faster and stronger than humans, no offense." I shook my head, then asked, "What is Feylund like?" He looked through the trees. "Well... I'm not sure I can compare it to another planet, seeing as I have only been to Feylund and Valhalla... Feylund is... like Valhalla, but more green. Trees are everywhere. Fæ, Gœcel, and Lyre trees are the most common. There are even Plyst trees, that grow under water! There is no salt water like they have here. All water was fresh. Even the Great Sea was fresh! However, Feylund has never been very peaceful. The Werewolves are constantly fighting with us. The Giants and Dwarves argue over land. Everyone hates the undead, which is one of the major causes of the wars." I glanced at him incredulously. "Undead?" "Yes. You might have met one. Her name is Sudema, she works with Vydar." I shook my head again. "There are other undead on Feylund. Zombies are more common than others. There are also Vampires. The Esenwein family are the biggest group, 4 of them. Because of their union, they are extremely difficult to destroy permanently. Zombies are easily dissuaded by fire, so conjuration protects us from them." "How do-", I started, but I was cut off by Sonny's exaggerated whisper, "Quiet!" I turned to see him looking through the trees to the left of us. He had one hand out, two fingers curled, pointing in the direction too. Syvarris slid his bow out of the quiver and notched an arrow without a sound. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped and spun, hand on my sword hilt. Raelin pointed to the treetops, then fluttered her wings. I nodded, then waved my hands to get everyone's attention. I pointed to her and she repeated the motions. Mira, Jackson, and Lenny nodded immediately. Ken, Fred, Darius, and Barney searched for my approval, then accepted. Sonny and Syvarris answered by scurrying up a tree. Shiori pulled her daggers out and pulled herself up a different tree. The rest of us climbed trees in twos and threes. Then I realized who we had forgotten. Qwerty was standing in the clearing where we had all deserted him. I groaned. He couldn't climb a tree! Sonny murmured, "Maak onzychtbaar!" Suddenly Qwerty vanished. I held in a gasp. Suddenly, distant snarling could be heard. However, it was rapidly getting louder. Quiet descended for a second, before louder shrieking. Bushes rustled and a green snout poked out.

The snout was quickly followed by an elongated body, long legs, and a stubby tail. The creature's skin looked like it was coated in slime. It had a armor plate that guarded it's neck and head. It sniffed, barked, and ran into the clearing. It was quickly followed by eleven more. I shot a worried glance at Raelin who was next to me. Shiori suddenly landed next to me. She edged closer, and whispered coldly, "These are Nagrubs. They have no eyes and rely almost entirely on scent. They also have a weak spot on their stomachs, so when they jump at you, stab them, shoot them, doesn't matter. Just kill them before they kill you. Personally, I don't care if they kill you first, but sadly, you are required for this mission. If Einar had not commanded me to cooperate, I would slit your throat now. However, now is not the time. Maybe after Utgar is defeated." Then she swung herself to the next tree, where the elves were hiding. I turned to Raelin unsheathing her sword. I followed her example and saw the Elves doing the same. Sonny removed one hand from his sword and shouted, "Neem adem!" The Nagrubs collapsed, gasping for air. Sonny leaped to the ground, quickly followed by Shiori and myself. Sonny swung his sword, lopping off the head of one. Shiori threw her knives at two more. I swung my blade at another as it stumbled to its feet. The other eight regained their breath and, snarling, launched themselves at us. Arrows struck two down mid-air. Raelin flew over their heads, sword flashing, causing another to fall. One lunged at Shiori, who ducked while simultaneously stabbing up with a dagger. Qwerty reappeared and smashed two Nagrubs, before firing his pistol at another. The last Nagrub sprang at a tree, spun again, then flew at Raelin. Halfway, he suddenly jerked and fell. The creature's claws heavily scratched Raelin's leg. She yelped and fell a few feet. Lenny, eyes wide, was holding a smoking gun. Raelin landed as softly as possible, but still groaned when her bad leg hit the ground. I sheathed my sword before going over to her. She sat on a stump, eyes closed, but opened them at the sound of my approach. "You alright?", I asked, concerned. "I'm... not sure... It's stings like crazy!", she winced. I bent over to study the claw marks. They were already turning a nasty shade of green mixed with red. I winced. She noticed my reaction and asked, "It's that bad?" I was instantly contrite. "Of course not! It... well..." "Don't lie to me!", she snapped. "I'm perfectly aware that those are poisonous!" Sonny came over and scrutinized it. "I can't heal this..."


End file.
